top of page
Writer's pictureBecky Wallis

Tit Swingers - Pleasance Two - Edinburgh Fringe Review


True stories from history are no strangers to be worked upon and adapted for the stage, inspiring countless new stories along the way and we love to see it.

 

Anne Bonney and Mary Read, two famous female pirates whose stories have been a topic of conversation and speculation for many years, are the main inspiration of new musical ‘Tit Swingers’ by Le Gasp Productions. With the title based on the idea that both Bonny and Read fought off their enemies whilst bare breasted, the story is inspired by tales of the two polyamorous fighters and lovers, who were both also lovers with fellow pirate Calico Jack, set a bold punk rock soundtrack played live by the three person cast.



 The audience are introduced to Anne Bonney (Sam Kearney-Edwardes) and Mary Read (Abey Bradbury), both raised as boys and brought into a life of piracy by broken marriages and circumstance, along with chance meetings with Calico Jack (Max Kinder). We learn about their lives on the seven seas, where they were known as the Hell Cats through a series of sea shanties given the punk rock twist with guitars and drums.

 

What follows is a funny, fabulous, larger than life adventure through history, through the ups and downs of Bonney and Read. Kearney-Edwardes and Bradbury both perform as Bonney and Read and act as hosts to the piece, guiding us through, which proves helpful as there can be a lot of names and events to remember to piece it all together. Both make it look easy to jump from telling the story to playing their instruments in this most sung through piece, littered with dialogue that both illustrates the relationships between the three pirates and the close friendship of the cast as they bounce off of each other with plenty of fun and cheeky banter.




 

Kinder’s Calico Jack could easily be seen as the side character here, overshadowed by the two badass pirates of Bonney and Read, with even Jack himself being played by Read in one number, but he is given many an opportunity to shine in both his character and his music on the drums. His ‘hey I’m here too’ attitude raises many a laughs with a real highlight being Kinder’s take on the character of Pierre, dresser to the pirates extraordinaire, who really gets the audience involved along with his protectiveness over the precious drum kit.

 

‘Tit Swingers’ will have you laughing throughout and humming as you walk away. It’s an adventure full of sass, fun and laughter, and the fabulous cast will steal your heart. They are pirates after all, so stealing is just a part of the game. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to do some Hot Girl Pirate Shit.

 

 

 

14 views

Comments


bottom of page